Kwon Soon-woo won his first ATP title at the Astana Open beating James Duckworth in straight sets, 7-6 (8-6), 6-3. Soon-woo is only the second South Korean to win an ATP title. Lee Hyung-taik won an ATP title in 2003 – almost 18 years ago.

Kwon Soon-woo had a good year in 2021. He reached the semifinals at Eastbourne International on grass and reached two semifinals at two tournaments – Singapore Open and Andalucia Open. He also reached the third round at the French Open – his best result at a grand slam so far in his career.  He has represented South Korea in Davis Cup and at the Olympics.

With his first title, Soon-woo will improve his career-best ranking of world number 69 he reached in March 2020.

Emma Raducanu has split with her coach Andrew Richardson, who helped her win the US Open. Raducanu said she needs a more experienced tour professional to be her next coach.

Raducanu and Richardson have known each other for many years. Richardson teaches tennis at the Bromley Tennis Centre and coached Raducanu temporarily after her split with Nigel Sears after Wimbledon. Nigel Sears is Andy Murray’s father-in-law who has coached several female tennis players on the tour.

I feel like at this stage in my career, and playing the top players in the world, I realized I really need someone right now that has had that WTA Tour experience at the high levels, which means that I’m looking for someone who has been at that level and knows what it takes.

-Emma Raducanu

Richardson had modest success in doubles on the Challenger tour. He represented Great Britain in Davis Cup. His coaching relationship with Raducanu was a temporary arrangement until she could find a long-term coach.

In her short career, Raducanu has shown a willingness to end coaching relationships when she feels that there is not a good fit. But will not be short on coaching offers. Darren Cahill recently split with Simona Halep and might be a good choice for Raducanu. But Cahill has expressed reservations about traveling full-time with any player due to his ESPN commentary commitments.